Saudi Arabia has barred greater than 269,000 folks with out permits from getting into Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, officers stated Sunday, stepping up efforts to crack down on unauthorized journeys into the holy metropolis.
Authorities blame overcrowding through the Hajj on unregistered individuals and say a lot of those that died in final yr’s lethal summer season warmth have been amongst them.
The excessive variety of expulsions underscores each the huge scale of unauthorized pilgrimages and the sturdy demand to carry out the Hajj.
Currently, about 1.4 million Muslims are formally in Mecca, with extra anticipated to reach within the coming days.
Fines of as much as $5,000 and different penalties, together with deportation, apply to anybody performing Hajj with no allow.
The coverage contains residents and people with Saudi residency.
At a press convention in Mecca, officers stated that they had stopped 269,678 folks with out permits from getting into town.
Under the foundations, solely these with permits are allowed to carry out the pilgrimage, even when they stay within the metropolis year-round.
Officials have additionally penalized greater than 23,000 Saudi residents for violating Hajj laws and revoked the licenses of 400 Hajj firms.
Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Omari advised reporters, “The pilgrim is in our sight, and anyone who disobeys is in our hands.”
The Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca involving a collection of non secular rituals. It is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for each Muslim who can afford it and is bodily capable of carry out it.
But the pilgrimage has been marred lately by issues about excessive temperatures, with pilgrims performing their rituals open air throughout peak daylight.
Historically, deaths usually are not unusual at Hajj, which has at occasions drawn greater than 2 million folks for the five-day pilgrimage. It has additionally seen deadly stampedes and different accidents.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense stated Sunday that drones have been getting used for the primary time on the Hajj. They are used for surveillance, monitoring and extinguishing fires.
Source: www.dailysabah.com